(EnergyAsia, July 14 2010, Wednesday) — Singapore’s Asia Power Corporation said it has agreed to pay RMB76.56 million to acquire an 80% stake in three hydro power plants owned by Chinese firm Hongya by end-2010. (US$1=RMB6.8). The acquisition in the Da Chang He, Hua Qiu Po, and Yang Cheng Qiang hydro plants is subject to...

(EnergyAsia, July 14 2010, Wednesday) — Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, an NYSE-listed leading solar energy company and one of the world’s largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers, said it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Hebei branch of the China Development Bank (CDB). Yingli said it and its affiliates could obtain up...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday)  — The Indonesian government has proposed to provide biodiesel distributors a subsidy of 2,000 to 2,500 rupiah per liter biodiesel under its 2011 budget. (US$1=1,050 rupiah). The proposal seeks to protect domestic biofuel producers and sellers from competition and financial losses in the event of a decline in oil-based fuel...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Indonesia’s plans to impose a moratorium on deforestation and classify areas for mining, aimed at protecting the environment, could end up reducing the country’s coal production. The new rules from the world’s biggest coal exporter come while many miners are in the midst of ramping up production as they...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Abengoa Solar and Total Consortium has won the international bidding to form a joint venture with Abu Dhabi’s future energy company Masdar to develop, own and operate what will be the largest solar power plant in the Middle East. Construction of the 100MW plant on 741 acres of desert...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Production of around 80,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) would be deferred from 2011 to later years if the Obama Administration succeeds in imposing its proposed moratorium on deepwater drilling, according consultant Wood Mackenzie. This would be equivalent to around four...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Asian manufacturers will lead the US$8 billion global market for electric vehicle batteries, according to a study by US consultant Pike Research. The Boulder, Colorado company said the next five years will see rapid advances in advanced battery technology, as dozens of manufacturers position themselves to meet the anticipated...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Asia Pacific photovoltaic markets are poised to make a significant contribution to global photovoltaic (PV) market growth in 2010 following improvements in the policy environment in most of the key countries in this region, said consulting group Solarbuzz. In its latest study, “Asia and Pacific Major PV Markets 2010”,...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Vestas, the Danish world leader in wind energy, said it has secured an order from China’s Fujian Energy Wind Power Company for 24 units of its V80-2.0 MW turbine model, totalling 48 MW. The units will be installed on a site near the coast of Putian County in Fujian...

(EnergyAsia, July 13 2010, Tuesday) — Southern Online Biotechnologies Limited, an Indian Internet services provider (ISP) and biodiesel manufacturer, has set up its second biodiesel plant at a special economic zone to target the export market.   The Hyderabad-based company said it is targeting to sell off a third of the production at its 75,000-tonne-a-year...

(EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — Bangkok Solar Power Co Ltd (BSP), a leading manufacturer of PV solar modules and engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contractor, has agreed to acquire up to 6,639,063 shares of Prime Sun Power Inc’s common stock at price of 7.73 euro per share for a total of 40-million euros....

(EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — Singapore’s Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) recently awarded research grants totalling S$13 million to five teams under the third grant call of the Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP). According to the Economic Development Board (EDB), this third grant call was focused on improving solar cell efficiency and storage systems...

(EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — Singapore’s Renewable Energy Asia Group (REA Group), formerly known as Superior Fastening Technology, said it has signed a strategic co-operative agreement with China Datang Corporation Renewable Power Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China Datang Corp, the country’s largest state-owned power producer by installed capacity. The two companies have agreed...

(EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — Australian science agency CSIRO said it is partnering with China United Coalbed Methane Corporation Limited (CUCBM) to jointly develop a A$10 million demonstration project to store 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) underground in Shanxi province and extract methane for use as an energy source. (US$1=A$1.2). The project will...

(EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — The consortium led by Energy Australia, which includes Australia’s leading integrated renewable energy company, AGL Energy, has been awarded the contract to develop nation’s “Smart Grid Smart City” demonstration project. The other members of the A$100 million consortium include IBM Australia, GE Energy, TransGrid, Newcastle City Council and the...

  (EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — Greenpeace said Asian community leaders attending its recent workshops in Jakarta have called on their governments to quit coal power and begin the switch to clean renewable energy. The environmental lobby group said the leaders from Indonesia, China, India, the Philippines, and Thailand attending the workshops in Cirebon,...

(EnergyAsia, July 12 2010, Monday) — Clenergen Corp said it and the Philippine National Power Corp (NPC) are jointly establishing an alternative energy training institute to provide the US firm with the expertise to train local workers to build biomass power systems in Africa and the Asia Pacific region. Clenergen estimated that there will be...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) — Canada possesses nearly 4,000 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, a huge increase from previous estimates, according to a report that for the first time measures shale gas and other unconventional sources of natural gas.   The Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas (CSUG) said the amount of marketable...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) — Two Chinese state-owned companies are working on plans to develop their recently acquired stakes in oil and gas fields in Brazil and Iraq. In May, Sinochem Corp paid US$3.07 billion for a 40% stake in an offshore oil field in Brazil owned by Norway’s Statoil. The Chinese firm won...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) — Malaysia’s palm oil exports to the European Union are unlikely to be affected by the sustainability requirements of the region’s Renewable Energy Directive which is due to take effect in December.   Vincent Piket, EU ambassador and head of delegation to Malaysia, recently said the EU would not block...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) — Oriental Energy and Power Generation Corp has obtained four new renewable energy contracts from the Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of mini-hydro projects in the country.   Oriental Energy has a service contract with the DOE to build a 2.5-billion peso, 18-megawatt mini hydro power plant...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) — The UAE has concluded an agreement to build a crude oil storage and logistics base in South Korea to handle its oil exports in Asia.   The two governments are in the final phase of discussions focusing on the cost of the facility, quantity of oil to be handled...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) —The Taiwanese government has announced plans to invest NT$20 billion over the next five years on research and development of renewable energy sources, according to the Bureau of Energy. (US$1 =NT$33).   The government has also doubled research funding for electric vehicle development to nearly NT$400 million this year while...

(EnergyAsia, July 9 2010, Friday) — Wilmar International Limited, the Singapore-based leading agribusiness group, said it is acquiring Australia-based CSR Limited’s sugar and renewable energy business, Sucrogen Limited, for A$1.75 billion, beating out a rival bid from China’s Bright Food Group. The valuation comprises A$1.347 billion in equity and A$403 million of net debt, as...